Letting Go
by Tatchez
Summary: Marinette decides to confess, but not with the intent of being together. (Originally a one-shot that was made a story on AO3).
1. Chapter 1

Planted on the school grounds, was one sunflower boy by the name of Adrien Agreste. He was stunned, completely unmoving, from the sheer shock of the sudden confession from his friend. _Friend? _He questioned himself. How had he not seen that coming? Did she ever hint at her feelings before? He thought himself a smart boy, so he couldn't have been _**that**_ clueless. Could he? His snarky kwami peered up at him, showing himself slightly out from beneath Adrien's shirt.

"Looks like to me, you just got dumped!" Plagg snickered. He shouldn't get so much amusement out of his holder's problems, but humans were just way too blind. How could he not laugh at the poor boy's situation? Plagg's declaration was enough to pull Adrien back down to Earth from his outer body experience. Adrien looked at Plagg quizzically, "Is that what just happened?" he wondered aloud.

Plagg chuckled again, this time earning him a scornful stare from his holder. Adrien lightly pushed Plagg back into his shirt, and finally uprooted himself from his spot. If he kept his bodyguard waiting any longer he would be in trouble, but this conversation was not over.

Marinette kept rambling to herself. A lot of _Oh my god'_s and _Is this okay? Am I sure? What did I do? Does he hate me now?_ Her panicked pacing around her room sighed heavily before starting, "Marinette!"

Marinette stopped mid freak out, eyes wide, her blue bell eyes meeting Tikki's. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, "Sorry, Tikki, go ahead" she exhaled slowly. Her kwami complied.

"Are you sure you didn't even want to hear his answer?" she inquired. Marinette was a little taken aback. After Tikki had to listen to her complain for years about Adrien, she thought that she would be relieved that she wanted to move on. There was something off about Tikki, like she was upset, but Marinette hadn't the faintest idea as to why. Her brows furrowed in confusion.

"I didn't need to, Tikki. I already knows he loves someone else." Marinette stated coolly. It still hurt to admit that she wasn't the girl of his affections, but she had to move on now. This was the only thing that made sense to her. Doesn't Tikki want her to be happy? The red kwami's frown deepened slightly, not unnoticed by her holder.

"I know what he said, but maybe things have changed. People, feelings, they all change." Tikki proclaimed. _What is going on? _Marinette pondered. She closed the distance between herself and Tikki, taking the little bug into the palm of her shaky hands (still a bit shaky from the confession jitters). Her look of puzzlement ever more present.

"Tikki, I don't understand. Why aren't you happy for me?" she questioned, wonderment filling her eyes. A slight sadness as well, Tikki noted. This was a slippery slope for Tikki. Knowing how the two feel about each other, watching how they have danced around each other for years, never realizing that the one they love has been there all this time. Tikki loved her Ladybug's, and she truly wanted them all to be happy, for _Marinette_ to be happy. It hurt her to see Marinette's love so close, to feel the same as her, yet not being able to help. However unfortunate this was, Tikki couldn't speak up about it, their identities must not be revealed. With a sad smile, Tikki answered, hope filling her tiny body that maybe somehow these two holders will find their way to each other once more. "I am happy for you, Marinette, I'm sorry it didn't seem that way. I just want you to be happy."

Marinette visibly perked up at this, and snuggled her kwami close. She couldn't shake the feeling she was missing something, but that was a problem for future Marinette to worry about. For now, acting normal in front of Adrien at school tomorrow would be her biggest challenge.

Adrien paced his large, lonely room, his right hand resting thoughtfully on his chin. These past few hours have given him a chance to comb through their time shared the past two years, and he can now see some of the things she said or did that could be construed as having a crush on him. But how was he ever supposed to figure that out? It wasn't that obvious, or so he tried to convince himself. When he questioned Plagg about it, he laughed in Adrien's face. Said Adrien could be verified as a legally blind person. At first, Adrien brushed off his kwami, but then he started to wonder how true that was. He grabbed his phone, and began texting his best friend.

_[16:40] Adrien: Hey Nino, I have a really important question._

_[16:43] Nino: Of course! Go ahead, bud._

_[16:43] Adrien: Did you know Marinette has a crush on me? _

_[16:45] Nino: Uhhh.. _


	2. Chapter 2

Planted on the school grounds, was one sunflower boy by the name of Adrien Agreste. He was stunned, completely unmoving, from the sheer shock of the sudden confession from his friend. _Friend? _He questioned himself. How had he not seen that coming? Did she ever hint at her feelings before? He thought himself a smart boy, so he couldn't have been _**that**_ clueless. Could he? His snarky kwami peered up at him, showing himself slightly out from beneath Adrien's shirt.

"Looks like to me, you just got dumped!" Plagg snickered. He shouldn't get so much amusement out of his holder's problems, but humans were just way too blind. How could he not laugh at the poor boy's situation? Plagg's declaration was enough to pull Adrien back down to Earth from his outer body experience. Adrien looked at Plagg quizzically, "Is that what just happened?" he wondered aloud.

Plagg chuckled again, this time earning him a scornful stare from his holder. Adrien lightly pushed Plagg back into his shirt, and finally uprooted himself from his spot. If he kept his bodyguard waiting any longer he would be in trouble, but this conversation was not over.

Marinette kept rambling to herself. A lot of _Oh my god'_s and _Is this okay? Am I sure? What did I do? Does he hate me now?_ Her panicked pacing around her room increased.Tikki sighed heavily before starting, "Marinette!"

Marinette stopped mid freak out, her wide blue bell eyes meeting Tikki's. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, "Sorry, Tikki, go ahead" she exhaled slowly. Her kwami complied.

"Are you sure you didn't even want to hear his answer?" she inquired. Marinette was a little taken aback. After Tikki had to listen to her complain for years about Adrien, she thought that she would be relieved that she wanted to move on. There was something off about Tikki, like she was upset, but Marinette hadn't the faintest idea as to why. Her brows furrowed in confusion.

"I didn't need to, Tikki. I already knows he loves someone else." Marinette stated coolly. It still hurt to admit that she wasn't the girl in question, but she had to move on now. This was the only thing that made sense to her. Doesn't Tikki want her to be happy? The red kwami's frown deepened slightly, not unnoticed by her holder.

"I know what he said, but maybe things have changed. People, feelings, they all change." Tikki proclaimed. '_What is going on?' _Marinette pondered. She closed the distance between herself and Tikki, taking the little bug into the palm of her trembling hands; still a bit shaky from the love confrontation. Her look of puzzlement ever more present.

"Tikki, I don't understand. Why aren't you happy for me?" she questioned, wonderment filling her eyes. A slight sadness as well, Tikki noted. This was a slippery slope for Tikki. Knowing how the two feel about each other, watching how they have danced around each other for years, never realizing that the one they love has been there all this time. Tikki loved her Ladybug's, and she truly wanted them all to be happy, for _Marinette_ to be happy. It hurt her to see Marinette's love so close, to feel the same as her, yet not being able to help. However unfortunate this was, Tikki couldn't speak up about it, their identities must not be revealed.

With a sad smile, Tikki answered, hope filling her tiny body that maybe somehow; these two holders will find their way to each other once more. "I am happy for you, Marinette, I'm sorry it didn't seem that way. I just want you to be happy."

Marinette visibly perked up at this, and snuggled her kwami close. She couldn't shake the feeling she was missing something, but that was a problem for future Marinette to worry about. For now, acting normal in front of Adrien would be her biggest challenge.

Adrien paced his large, lonely room, his right hand resting thoughtfully on his chin. These past few hours have given him a chance to comb through their time shared the last two years, and he can now see some of the things she said or did that could be construed as having a crush on him. Like the way she babbled incoherently in front of him, which he had come to love, her expressions changing as frequently as the weather in spring as she did so; but how was he ever supposed to know that meant she loved him? Nothing she did or said was that obvious to the fact, or so he tried to convince himself. When he questioned Plagg about it, he laughed in Adrien's face. He said Adrien could be considered verifiably blind. At first, Adrien brushed off his kwami, but then he started to wonder how true that was. He grabbed his phone off his table, and began texting his best friend.

_[16:40] Adrien: Hey Nino, I have a really important question._

_[16:43] Nino: Of course! Go ahead, bud._

_[16:43] Adrien: Did you know Marinette has a crush on me? _

Several minutes pass by with no answer from Nino, which was unusual. He almost always answers Adrien back quickly, but Adrien decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he is really busy right now? So, he did the sensible thing. He waited. And waited. Waited some more. He played the piano, took a shower, and scanned the Ladyblog for anything new, but he couldn't wait much longer. Nino's silence only appeared to be confirming his suspicions. Nino knew about Marinette's crush on him and didn't tell him? Why? Did everyone else know too? Even Plagg seemed to think it was obvious. Why was he the absolute last to know when his kwami and his best friend had the inside scoop?

_[22:26] Adrien: So I'm going to take that as a yes…_

_[22:27] Nino: How did you find out though?_

_[22:27] Adrien: Marinette confessed to me today.. Why didn't you tell me?_

_[22:27] Nino: It wasn't my secret to tell. Also, my girlfriend would have KILLED me if I told you before Marinette could confess._

Alya did know. Of course she did. Alya is her best friend. Not that Adrien can tell anyone besides Plagg about the person he loves, so he has a hard time relating to that level of friendship. Even so, Nino's story makes sense. Alya swore him to secrecy. Nino, not wanting to anger her, held his tongue. Thus, unsure of how much he was able to say, Nino didn't respond. Truthfully, Adrien knew that was probably the case to begin with.

He sighed, unsure of himself. His thoughts slowly drifting back to the confession from this afternoon. Strangest thing about it was the fact that this is the second time she has told him that she loves him, she just didn't know that. The first time was when she confessed to Chat Noir. At that time, he was just as caught off guard, maybe more so this time, but a shock each time nonetheless. Her confession then didn't seem to make much sense to him. She hardly knew Chat Noir. For him, it seemed to be forced compared to this time. Was she ever really in love with his alter ego? Or was it just different now because she grew, and adapted? He couldn't be sure. After all, his response to it was not the same either. Both times, he was unsure of what to say, but this time; this time was unlike any other moment a girl has poured their heart out to him. This time, he couldn't move, or speak, let alone _breathe_.

'_What was that all about?'_ Adrien thought as he flopped down onto his bed, placing his forearm over his tightly closed eyes. The image of Marinette burned into his memory. She has always been a sweet girl, but the smirk she wore just hours earlier was downright devilish. To be honest, Adrien didn't realize it was even possible for her to make that sort of face. Thinking back on it now, he liked it. It was a small glimpse of a Marinette he didn't recognize. '_Sassy'_ he surmised, a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He removed his arm from his face, and combed his fingers through his disheveled hair, when the ghost of her lips on his cheek materialized. Adrien's eyes widened, his face flushed at the recollection, his own lips forming a tight line. That simple contact lit a fire under his skin that took hours to douse; the memory reigniting a slight flame on his cheek. This only confused Adrien further.

"Plagg?" he began, speaking out into his now dark room. A muffled groan could be heard beside him in the large bed. Adrien didn't wait for an answer, "Marinette said she loves me."

"Ugh, yeah. So?" the small creature grumbled, stretching his body before curling into a new, more comfy position.

"So.. I love Ladybug" he stated, which was not a lie. All this time, he has only really had eyes for her. Sure, Kagami was beautiful, smart, and fierce just like his lady. She was someone he could have seen really caring for, if he had not met Ladybug first. Yet he had met her first, and fell head over heels for her. Quite literally, as she came crashing into him, tangling them close together in her yoyo. At one point he thought he should give up and pursue Kagami, but he could not forget the spotted super heroine. Everyone else just paled in comparison to her. As for Kagami, she and her mother ended up going back to Tokyo. Adrien could only assume they returned for private family matters, as Kagami could not give him any specifics as to why.

If he still only has eyes for Ladybug, why does he feel so crummy? Why is he saddened by the fact Marinette wants to stop loving him? Could it be because he is so used to being unloved that the thought of losing someone who loves him, upsets him?_ 'How selfish'_ he thinks to himself. '_She's right, she deserves to be happy, so why…_'

"If I love Ladybug, why do I have this pain in my chest? Why don't I want Marinette to move on?" Adrien asks aloud, not really expecting an answer from his sleepy kitty. Plagg has never been the type to give sound advice. Besides, he hates romance.

Against the norm, and much to Adrien's surprise, Plagg opens his mouth to speak, "Maybe because you need to wake up, and see what's in front of you for once." His tone is a bit snippy, which is to be expected when his beauty sleep is disturbed. Cats need a lot of sleep, after all. Adrien was a bit shocked by his somewhat sudden outburst. He turned over onto his side, facing Plagg.

"What do you mean?"

Plagg's eyes squinted, looking over his holder's face with his night time vision, wondering if Adrien was really this dense. When his surveillance of Adrien's face had been completed, showing that he could actually be that half-witted when it came to love; a deep sigh escaped the kwami, more breath released than thought possible out of something that small.

"Look, all I'm gonna say is, there is a reason I kept nudging you to forget about Ladybug, and go for someone available." Plagg said irritably. If Adrien was going to ask him to elaborate, he was not given the chance. Plagg rose from the bed and floated over to Adrien's dirty sock basket, plopping himself inside of his little safe haven; defended against Adrien's, in his opinion, gross and annoying love complications.

'_What is even going on today?'_ First, Marinette's surprising proclamation of love, the strange way he reacted, the irritating and confusing ache in his chest, the way his heart clenched at even the mere thought of her, and now Plagg's out of character spurt of words. Adrien must have just been caught off guard, is all.

'_Yeah, that's it. Everything will be fine. I just need some sleep. I'll figure out everything tomorrow. These weird feelings and things are for "tomorrow Adrien" to settle.'_ He mused. His tired heart and mind allowing him some reprieve as he drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

"Adrien!" Marinette giggled. "You can't try to cheat just because I keep kicking your sorry butt."

"What!? Me, cheat? Never!" he responded, while also trying to stifle his own laughter. The two of them were surrounded by four walls of bright pink, and Marinette's half-finished creations. The smell of the bakery below overwhelming Adrien's senses with sweet buttery goodness. It was calming, not to mention being around Marinette lifted his mood beyond new heights. The glimmer in Marinette's eyes as she spoke to, and laughed with him, warmed his heart immensely. He briefly wondered if he had ever seen anything more beautiful.

Glancing at her as her giggling subsided, Adrien sighed contently. Marinette's pink cheeks matched the interior of her painted walls as she looked at him shyly.

"You fibber." She smiled, the amusement lacing her voice. Adrien couldn't help but smile along with her. Yeah, he had been caught. Not that his cheating was hard to recognize. Kind of hard to ignore Player 2 diving for Player 1's controller, mid fight in Ultimate Mecha Strike III; to throw them off and hit the wrong buttons. He was a dork, and that's why she loved him, right?

"Well, can you blame me? We've been playing for an hour now and I still can't beat you." He chuckled and placed his controller on the desk. She mimicked his actions and turned to face him more directly.

"Doesn't give you the right to cheat." Marinette laughed, "Still, I guess I _could_ go easy on you once in awhile."

Adrien cackled lightheartedly as he slouched in his seat, his head hanging back looking towards the ceiling. "Yeah right. You do anything less than perfect? That's ludicrous."

"Hey! I do plenty of things less than perfect. Like how I'm so clumsy, or how awkward I was around you or-" He suddenly spun around to meet her gaze which caught her off guard, making her jerk back a little in her chair. She was able to save herself from any further embarrassment by regaining her composure, and NOT falling over for once. For that, she was thankful.

Her little blunder only endeared Adrien to her more. Soon he found himself grabbing her hand gently in his own. Her hand was warm, soft and comfortable. It felt _right_. His heart expanded in his chest, and he knew it was almost impossible for the love and adoration to not be visible on his face.

"What you were describing wasn't really things you do imperfectly. Your designs, being a great friend and daughter, student" He paused "…Girlfriend. All done perfectly." Her bright eyes shone, her breath unable to escape its prison. He took it as encouragement to keep going.

"So, see? You can't deny that. You do things perfectly. Heck, those things you mentioned make you more perfect." Marinette flushed, her ears and face a deep crimson. A garbled squeak made it's way up her throat, making her even more positively adorable in his eyes.

"I wouldn't go that far." She grumbled, looking away bashfully. Adrien's smile remained soft, his eyes never leaving her face. Drinking in every ounce of her existence, asking himself how he got so lucky.

"I would." He said voice just above a whisper, causing Marinette to look back at him. Her face still a lovely shade of red. A magnetic force existed between them. Their bodies slowly leaning in, Adrien's eyes drawn to her lips and Marinette to his, their breath mingling together as they drew closer.

Closer.

_Closer._

"Gah!" Adrien yelled in surprise as he shot up from his bed. His breath ragged, and his heart thumping loudly in his chest. His lips tingled at the memory. Was it all a dream? His eyes quickly flashed around at his surroundings. No pink walls, no fashion designs, no trap doors, or bakery below him. No _Marinette._

Adrien placed a hand over his still charged heart, willing it to calm down. His mouth felt dry, but most of all, he felt confused. Plagg awoke from his slumber in the dirty sock basket he hid himself in the night before; peaking lazily at Adrien.

"You okay, kid?" He yawned.

"I think so. It was just a weird dream." Adrien answered. Yeah, that was it. Just a random, strange dream. A dream about the girl who just confessed, so it must just be lingering thoughts about the day prior. That's all. Or at least that's all he allowed himself to believe. It brought him some comfort, and his heart started to slow to a normal rate. He sighed, which turned into a scoff, then to a fit of maniacal laughter. Plagg grew more concerned by the minute.

"Uhh.. Must have been some dream for you to react like this." Plagg said wearily. Adrien's weird fit of laughter died down. He got out of bed in a hurry; quickly grabbing his things for a speedy shower before school. Plagg watched on in anticipation.

"Yeah, it was some dream alright." Adrien said sarcastically. After that dream, he was determined to prove that's all it was. A nonsensical dream. Marinette was just a friend. That's all. So she had a crush on him, no big deal. Maybe it would be a little awkward at first, sure, but he said he wanted to remain friends. He meant that. If Marinette chose to date someone after she got over him, he would support her whole heartedly with a smile on his face. The notion of Marinette finding happiness with someone who could return her feelings, made him feel a bit better; though the peculiar and annoying ache in his ribcage remained, he thought nothing of it.

'_Marinette is an awesome person. She will make someone very happy.'_ He mused. Quickly throwing camembert to Plagg, and picking up his bag, he headed to school. With renewed vigor, Adrien set out to prove what a great friendship they could have. Vowing that he wouldn't let things get awkward between them.

Marinette hardly slept at all the previous night. Replaying in her mind the moment she spilled her guts to Adrien; effectively running away right after. She told Tikki that she didn't wait to hear what Adrien had to say about the whole thing, because she knew what he would say. That wasn't entirely true. Mostly, but not entirely. Though she was sure that Adrien had no feelings for her, she was afraid to hear it. If he said it, that made it all the more real. If he said it, she would once again ask herself what he didn't see in her, and she hated to doubt her self worth. She may be clumsy, but becoming Ladybug made her a more confident person. While most kids after school fought acne, she fought akumas and villains. She saved lives. Marinette might not be able to get the recognition in her civilian form, but that didn't diminish her worth.

Even while being Marinette, she tried helping others wherever she could. Homework, love problems even when Adrien was the one asking, settling disputes, etc. She knew she was a good person, with a good heart and a lot of love to give. Knowing this was not always enough to keep those negative thoughts away though. After all, it's only natural when the person you love refuses to see you for you after two years. Maybe her shy demeanor made it hard to notice her?

No! It doesn't matter anymore. She is moving on. _'He has feelings for someone else. Not me. It's never going to happen so I better accept it.'_ Marinette declared, more or less trying to convince herself for the 100th time since she confessed. Despite barely getting any sleep, it didn't make her any more motivated. She spent the morning twiddling away, worrying about how to act once she saw Adrien at school. Ignore him? No, no, they decided to stay friends! Greet him like normal? Maybe, but will he still feel awkward? Should he have some space? Acknowledge him but not be over friendly? Yeah, that might do.

With a heavy sigh, Marinette slowly pulled the covers off of her. Then with one slow movement, she placed her right foot onto the floor. Stalling another moment before she then followed suit with her left foot, angling her body in a vertical direction, but still refusing to sit up. Tikki giggled as she watched Marinette. This was almost an every day occurrence, but it never failed to amuse the kwami.

"You're still not a morning person, huh?" Tikki teased lightly, getting a groan in response.

"Yeah, well, it's even more of a challenge when I remember what awaits me at school." Marinette reminded her. Tikki's sad smile returning to her features, turned away as to not raise any more suspicion than Marinette already had.

"Maybe it won't be that bad." Tikki shrugged. Another groan. "Either way, you should start getting ready, or you'll be late."

"Yeah, yeah." Marinette huffed as she slowly rose to her feet. Her body felt achy and sore from the exhaustion ripping through her; which was nothing compared to the anxiety she felt in her stomach, threatening to claw it's way up her throat. In a lackadaisical manner, she prepped herself for school. Tikki took her rightful place by Marinette's side inside her purse while Marinette exited through the bakery, making sure to give her parents a quick kiss on their cheeks in parting.

On her walk to school, she idly wondered how many people had heard about her crush on Adrien. Pretty much anyone who had ever even looked at the two of them together could tell what her feelings were, but she wasn't sure if anyone had heard of how she finally told him. She kind of hoped not. She wasn't quite ready to deal with people's looks and whispers, but maybe Tikki was right. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe no one knew yet, aside from Alya or Nino, and maybe he didn't hate her.

It was going to be a long day regardless. That much she was sure of.

Upon reaching the school entrance, Adrien's nerves sky rocketed. He was sure Marinette would be close, unless she was late again of course. He was determined to not be awkward around her, and to make their friendship stronger, but despite feeling that way he couldn't stop the jitters bubbling in his stomach. His palms began to sweat, his leg bouncing in anticipation. He hoped his bodyguard didn't notice. Adrien glanced out of the tinted windows, his eyes immediately falling onto his best friend. Good, he can hang around Nino and it won't be so weird that way. Their friends can be a buffer until he can get a hold of whatever is happening to him.

Adrien sighed a sigh of relief, carefully pushing the car door open. He bid his bodyguard a quick farewell and trotted over to Nino. He hadn't noticed before that Alya was right next to him. Another student must have been blocking his view. It was slightly nerve-wracking for him, knowing that Alya must already know about the events that happened yesterday. He gulped down his nervous energy. Did that mean Marinette was close by as well?

He quickly scanned the area around until he saw _her._ Adrien's breath hitched in his throat. She was closer to the courtyard, clearly visible but not within earshot. Wait, who was with her?

"Hey! Adrien!" Nino exclaimed while clapping his hand on Adrien's shoulder. "What happened to you last night? You never replied. I was waiting for the details!"

Nino sounded muffled to him. He was much too distracted by the sight before him. Marinette talking to some guy. Some guy? Adrien had never seen him before. Dark hair, tall, _handsome._ Who was he? Wait, was she _blushing?_

"Adrien?" Nino asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, sorry." Adrien muttered, never taking his eyes off of the couple in front of him. He watched with a slight pang in his chest as she looked down meekly at the ground as they spoke, gently brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Had he imagined it? The part where she confessed? Was that all apart of his dream too?

"So, are you going to tell me what happened or..?" Nino inquired, still confused by his friend's behavior. Alya was quicker to catch on however; following Adrien's line of sight with her own. When her eyes met the object of his gaze, a wicked grin erupted on her face.

"That's Todd." She announced much to Adrien's surprise. It was enough to bring his eyes to meet with Alya's momentarily. His brows furrowed, and he waited for her to continue.

"Yeah, he's a nice guy. I may or may not have taken the liberty to let people know that Marinette was single." She explained. What did that mean? Nino also seemed like it was news to him that his girlfriend was meddling again, though not completely surprised. It wasn't the first time.

"What do you mean? She has been single… Right?" Adrien pondered, second guessing if he ever missed her dating anyone, but she had said she always loved him. Hadn't she? He knew she had a crush on Luka at some point. Come to think of it, what happened with that? They didn't date, at least not to his knowledge. He's starting to be unsure of how much he can trust his memory at this point.

"Well, yeah she was single, but she wasn't _single_. Get it?" Alya said, putting a lot of emphasize on the second single with her tone of voice and through exaggerated hand signals. Adrien shook his head slowly, doe-eyed.

"She was single, but she wasn't ready to _mingle_. Everyone knew she was emotionally unavailable to anyone but you." She finished. The gears slowly moving in Adrien's mind finally clicking into place.

"Oh." He said solemnly. Alya couldn't believe what she was seeing. He was upset about the possibility of another guy with Marinette. This should be interesting.

"Yep, and since I explained that she will be moving on, guys are coming out of no where to talk to her. I thought it might help her progress if she met some nice guys but…" Alya trailed off as she watched Adrien's expression morph from surprise, disappointment, and.. Jealousy?

"She just told me that she loves me yesterday. I know she said she wanted to move on, but isn't it a little fast?" He asked them both, hurt evident in his words, his eyes drifting back towards Marinette and Todd.

Nino and Alya hummed in unison, Nino being the one to speak this time around. "Maybe, but you gotta realize this may be sudden for you, yeah. For us though, and most importantly for her, she has been holding onto those feelings for a long time. This hasn't been easy or quick for her. It's taken her a while to comes to grips with it. Besides, they are just talking."

Adrien hadn't thought of it that way. It was hard to think straight when his chest ached so badly. Why should he be upset anyway? He has no right, no reason to be. Even if they are flirting, it's none of his business. A slight shoulder bump from Nino broke his attention once again.

"Anyway, I'm still waiting to hear about what went down. Are you guys still friends? Did she cry when you turned her down?" Nino pressed. Although Alya knew what happened she didn't tell Nino. She wanted to hear what Adrien had to say about it. For research, for her best friend, of course. Nothing to do with being nosey. Nope. Not at all.

With a frown, Adrien replied simply, "I didn't turn her down." This came as a shock for both Nino and Alya. Alya could have sworn that Marinette specifically said Adrien was in love with someone else. Sure sounded like a rejection to her. Nino scratched his head in confusion.

"What? You didn't? Then… What happened exactly?"

Adrien got the gist of what happened, but truth be told, the whole event was a blur. He was still trying to wrap his head around it himself. "Uh, well, I mean- yeah I didn't turn her down but… I don't know. She told me she has always loved me but now she was moving on. I didn't even have time to process it all, so I said nothing." Adrien explained as he nervously played with his ring miraculous.

"You didn't even SAY anything!?" Alya interjected, causing both boys to jump in surprise at the severity of her tone. She quickly covered her mouth with both of her hands, before starting in again much softer, "You didn't say anything? But I thought for sure that you turned her down.." If not then Marinette had some explaining to do, she would see to it.

Adrien's cheeks burned red. Gosh, this was so embarrassing to talk about. He wished he could hide away from their prying eyes and prodding questions for a bit. He wasn't really feeling up to it. Had school started yet? No? Damn. He motioned for them to start walking towards the school and they slowly followed.

"I was too shocked to say anything. Besides…" he took a deep breath, "It seemed like she had already made up her mind." Adrien was surprised at the amount of disappointment that was portrayed through his voice and choice of words. Was that why he was so upset? Because she showed him a door that he never even knew was open, before abruptly slamming it in his face? Seemed plausible, but it shouldn't matter. His heart had been taken long ago by a beautiful scarlet clad super heroine. Ladybug had never once returned his feelings in their entire super hero career together; though they had gotten closer. Their bond was stronger than ever, but still just not the relationship he had been dreaming of since day one. Always admiring her from afar, never able to properly call her "his lady" for real. He sighed at the thought.

He had spent so much time day dreaming, he couldn't see that his dear friend had been painfully pining after him just as long as he had been for Ladybug. Poor Marinette. He knew what that felt like. No wonder she had decided to move on. He couldn't blame her.

Nino's next question shook Adrien to the center of his being, "You say you think she already made up her mind, fine. But are YOU okay with it?" Nino made it a point to have Adrien look back in the direction of Marinette who was sweetly waving goodbye to the mystery boy. _Throb._

"If you're okay with being just friends, that's fine, but the look on your face says that you're not." He guessed nonchalantly. Did his face really look that bad? Adrien seemed struck. Possibly by a sudden realization, swift and hard to his head. His ears were ringing, his face going hot once again, his eyes involuntarily gazing at the girl approaching them. _Just friends._ The words wrapped around his heart, giving it a painful squeeze that made Adrien clutch at his chest. That earlier vow and idea of a great friendship be damned.

Alya's eyes widened in surprise before a hopeful gleam replaced it. Perhaps she could help these two love-struck idiots. Even if it seemed a little mean, this was for their own good. Unable to keep the devilish smirk off of her face, she closed the short distance between herself and Marinette. "Hey, girl! So, what do you think of Todd?"

Marinette squeaked in embarrassment, "Alya! Not now!" Her eyes nervously scanning Adrien's face for any discomfort, her cheeks and tips of her ears blazing. If Marinette didn't know any better, she would say Adrien looked upset, but it must have just been an awkward situation for him. Her heart lurched at the thought. She didn't mean to make him so uncomfortable.

"H-hey, Adrien!" Marinette piped up, trying to keep things as normal and friendly as possible. Little did Marinette know that Adrien was facing a storm within his heart and mind.

This morning he woke up feeling positive, albeit a bit strange as well due to his dream, about their friendship being able to withstand all of these complicated emotions. However, like some storms do, she appeared without warning. Her hair swayed gently in the breeze, ruffling all around her gorgeously pink cheeks. Her eyes shone with a vibrant intensity, like electricity lighting up the dark. She efficiently wrecked the door to his heart when she blew in with her confession. A heart he thought had no room for any other love; however, the mere sight of her had it stolen. Feelings he had never allowed himself to acknowledge, whether it had been because of fear or inability to let go of what he thought was true, all came flooding in at a terrifying speed. The rain of what Adrien was feeling in that moment soaked him to the bone, and chilled him to the core.

His friends looked on in confusion and worry, awaiting a response. Unable to face her, or his feelings, Adrien looked away glumly. "Hey" he mumbled softly before passing her by. To everyone else around, they could swear they heard the sound of a heart breaking. Whether it was Marinette's, Adrien's or both, was anybody's guess.


End file.
